Witness Protection

"You're being relocated to Olympia, Washington." He saw Frank's reaction and added, "It's the state capitol. It's a really beautiful area with great schools and..."

"Jesus, Joseph, and Mary! Are you fuckin' shittin' me? This has to be some kind of mistake. Tell me Chicago. Tell me LA. Hell, tell me Seattle, for Christ's sake. But...Olympia? Who the hell lives in Olympia?"

Landon thought about reminding how lucky he was not to be in prison—or in a cemetery—but held his tongue. "Once we get you to your new location, another team will take over and get you established in your new life. When we're sure you're safely resettled, we'll give you some emergency contact information. Other than that, you'll be on your own and I can't stress how important it is you NEVER, EVER contact anyone from your past lives for ANY reason. Just one mistake, just one slip up could be fatal for you or your little girl. It's worked for nearly 9,000 other people and it'll work for you too, IF you follow every instruction you're given."

"Yeah, yeah. Fuck you and your instructions," Frank said. "I need another smoke."

Abagayle slid off her mother's lap and asked if she could play. There wasn't anything in the room to play with so Knight offered her his phone after bringing up a fun little game Kate's daughter enjoyed playing. "Is this okay?" he asked Risa.

"I think so," she said nervously looking out the window.

"Mrs. Alsgaard?" Knight said interrupting her.

"Yes?" she said turning around.

"I want to tell you something and I'm going to trust you won't mention it to your husband. If you do, I could be in a lot of trouble, but if I don't say it, I won't be able to live with myself."

"My husband is a jealous man, Deputy Marshal. If he thinks you're asking me something personal..."

Knight saw Frank was still puffing away and said, "I want you to know, Mrs. Alsgaard, that if your husband is abusive, we can protect you from him. I know you were asked about this during the intake interview, but you may have been too afraid to say something."

She had been looking at him but as soon as she realized what he was asking her, she looked away immediately and outside at her husband.

"Please, please don't talk about that. Ever. If he hears you so much as mention that he'll..."

"He'll what, Mrs. Alsgaard?" He sat their file down and said, "Listen, I have a lot of personal experience with abusive men. Like my own father. He's this big, powerful lawyer. Above the law and all that. Let's just say I made it very clear I'd never let him lay another hand on my mother. If your husband is hurting you or your daughter, all you have to do is tell me. If you have bruises or even broken bones we can find with x-rays we can separate you and your daughter from him permanently. But you have to tell me before you get settled in your new location."

She still hadn't looked at him. "Mrs. Alsgaard? Do you understand me?"

Frank flung the door open again hitting his daughter in the back. She shrieked and ran to her mother crying. "What the hell's her problem? She can't even take a little bump like that without bawling? This is all your fault, Ton...whatever the hell your name is now. Jesus! Shut the kid up already!"

Knight cut his eyes toward her as she tried to sooth the child letting her know she now had the tools to escape if she wanted to. "She's okay," Risa said as she held Abagayle who was still crying. "She shouldn't have been sitting so close to the door."

"Damn straight!" Frank said. "So...what'd I miss, Sport?"

"Oh, nothing. Just talking about the Pacific Northwest and how green it is there."

"Yeah, yeah. That's code for it rains all the fuckin' time. So when do we eat around here?" Frank snorted.

"Same time as always," Knight said resisting the temptation to say something sarcastic. The three meals provided came at the same time every day...rain or shine.

Landon ate alone as he watched his protectees from the adjoining room. Right at seven o'clock, Kate came in to relieve him. "Hey there, handsome. How's Prince Charming doing in there?"

"Yeah, what a peach. I don't know how she puts up with him," he said rhetorically. Both of them knew women who got tied up with the mafia rarely ever got out. "Do you think he beats her?" he asked finally looking over her way.

"It's none of our business, Landon," she said as she looked through his notes on the laptop. "Risa? That's a pretty name. Oh, I love this spelling on Abagayle. Oh, God. Was he pissed about becoming a Franklin?" she asked already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, he's not exactly happy about it. You'll also be shocked to learn he's not wild about the new location, either."

"Fuck him, you know? He should be prison and he's too damn stupid to understand what a gift this is."

"I just feel bad for his wife and daughter."

Kate was watching him watch Risa. "You got a thing for her don't you? Come on, just admit it. You've got the hots for...what was her name again?" She scanned the page and said, "Oh, right. Risa. Well, she is beautiful, I'll grant you that. Cute kid, too. Makes sense, I guess." She paused and noticed Knight wasn't paying any attention. "So I killed someone on the way here today. What do you think about that?" she asked testing her theory.

"That's great," he said robotically.

"I also moved in with three guys. All midgets. The sex is really hot," she added.

"Uh-huh," he replied.

She snapped her fingers a couple of times and said, "Earth to Knight. Earth to Knight. Come in please."

He blinked then looked over at her and said, "I'm listening."

"Uh-huh. Sure you are. Go home, Landon. I've got it."

He watched Risa take another small bite as Frank continued to wolf down his food then wash it down with the cheap wine that came with the meal. Frank loved wine and typically spent thousands of dollars a week on the finest reds and whites. Knight had intentionally bought him a box of the cheapest rose possible knowing it would set him off. Now that he thought about it, it was probably pretty stupid as it was just one more thing he might take out on his beautiful wife.

"Go home, Landon. Get some sleep," Kate said again. "You ready for the move?

They were re-locating in 48 hours and both of them had been coordinating closely with the advanced team out in Washington. They'd use a private jet to transport them, land at a private airport then put them in a nondescript sedan for a drive to the next safe house where they'd spend several more days before taking up residence in their new home—one more thing Franklin would hate.

"Yeah. I mean, ready or not, here we come, right?"

Kate laughed and said, "What am I doing wrong, Landon?" She looked at Risa and said, "Do I need to grow my hair back out and bleach it blonde or something?"

Knight got up and grabbed his things. "It's not you, Kate. You're great. Really."

"Yeah, yeah. I love the old 'it's not you' speech. Okay so it's not me. But...?" she said waiting for it.

"There's only one but and you already know what it is," he told her.

"Working together? Why is that such a big deal? We have all kinds of people in the Service dating each other so it can't be that. So...it has to be me." She hesitated before saying but said it anyway, "Or my kids."

He sat down next to her and said, "Look. You're smart, you're funny, and you're beautiful. You're a real catch. Hell, I'd love to have a ready-made family so that's not an issue. It really is work, Kate. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I want a stay-at-home wife. Someone who can raise our children and be an example. I'm not saying you're not a great example, by the way. You are. Like I said, you're great. But we work long, crazy hours and the kids need someone at home with them 24/7 when they're small and well, in my opinion, they need their mother when they come home from school later on. I don't see how something like this would ever work."

"Even if I left the Service?" she said floating a kind of trial balloon.

"You? You love this stuff as much as I do. Maybe even more. You'd be miserable sitting home all day and you know it."

"Yeah, I know. Okay, you win. You're right. It's just such a shame because you're so damn...hot!" Kate smiled at him and Landon managed a smile back. "You really are, you know. I've never thrown myself at a guy before—ever." She smiled again and said, "Then again, I've never had to or even wanted to."

She saw him looking at Risa again and said, "She's taken, Landon. Give it a rest. And go home and get some rest! That's an order."

Knight laughed and said, "Yes, ma'am," as he made one last check to ensure he wasn't leaving anything behind. "Good night, Kate. Call me if you need me."

"I've been doing this a very long time, Knight. I think I can babysit three people. Besides, we've got backup outside and a team on standby so sweet dreams."

In any other world, he'd have been all over Kate—literally and figuratively. He was finally at a place in his life where he was ready to settle down. All he needed to do was find the right girl. Right. Working 60 hours a week on a rotating-shift schedule. Sure. Just find her. He took one last look at Kate then Risa and walked out the door.

He finally fell asleep around 11 o'clock. It was around 4am when his phone rang and Knight was so exhausted he wasn't sure where he was for a few moments. He reached for his phone and saw it was from Kate. "What's up?" he croaked.

"We need you at location 4-Alpha as soon as you can get there."

Knight sat bolt upright in bed. That was the hospital nearest the safe house. He knew he couldn't ask any questions on the phone but his gut told him it was Risa and the reason was her husband.

"I'm on my way," he told her. He got up, peed, brushed his teeth, and got dressed. He grab a cup of coffee at an all-night convenience store on the way in and showed up there in twenty minutes.

The hospitals they worked with had a small area where no visitors were allowed. Two private rooms set aside was this very kind of thing. Knight punched in the access code to gain entry and was immediately met by two other deputy marshals. "Hey, Knight. Kate's inside waiting for you," one of them told him.

He opened the door and saw Kate sitting next to the bed where Risa was hooked up to a machine monitoring her vitals. "What did he do to her?"

"You mean to them, right?" she said nodding to the other bed.

"What the f..." Abagayle was asleep in the other bed her left arm in a cast. He looked back at Risa and saw her face was black and blue and also saw bruises on both arms. Kate gently raised up her hospital gown showing Knight the large black and blue area on her lower left side.

"Son of a bitch!" he said out loud. "What the fuck happened, Kate?"

"He lost it. He just absolutely lost it. I heard him start yelling and by the time I got up I saw him holding Risa's arms and shaking her like a rag doll. As I ran in he hit her. Hard. It was this one-two kind of thing. One shot to the side and another to the face. Abagayle screamed and tried to grab his leg and he kicked her so hard he broke her arm. It was over in less than ten seconds. I cuffed his ass but the damage was done."

"Jesus! Fuck! What an animal. Are they okay?"

"Well, other than the obvious, yes. They'll both be fine but Risa has cracked ribs and a broken nose and you know about the girl's arm. This guy is a piece of work."

"A piece of shit, you mean, right?" he spat. "How far up has this gone?" he asked her.

"The Director's been briefed and we're waiting for the word. The problem is the plea deal and the attorneys. Legally..."

"Yeah, I know. Legally we're bound to execute it as written. That means we can't arrest this piece of crap or even..."

"And the family stays together. Unless the wife is willing to ask for separate protection."

Landon couldn't tell her he'd already suggested that to Risa. That kind of thing was strictly prohibited.

"I know I didn't have to bring you in, Landon. But I also knew you'd be pissed if I didn't. You don't have to stay. You're off until 1900 hours tonight so if you want to go back home..."

"Is she sedated?" he asked Kate.

"Yeah, she won't be awake for several more hours. Same with the girl. The doctor comes by every hour to check on them so there's really nothing you can do. I just thought you'd want to know."

He looked down at Risa, her beautiful face marred by the blood that had pooled around her eyes and broken nose. The whole thing sickened him. "So where's her dickhead husband?" he asked without looking away from this...angel of his.

"Still at the safe house and still in handcuffs. But I'll have to remove them as soon as I get back."

"Let me guess. He's apologizing all over himself, right? He's claiming he's never done anything like this before, he'll never do it again, blah-blah-blah."

"Wow. Sounds like you were there," Kate said.

"Not with this creep. But I lived with one just like him."

Kate sat up straight and said, "Are you serious?"

"Unfortunately, I am. My dad beat my mother for years."

"Oh, my God. I'm so sorry, Landon. I had no idea."

"I don't like talking about it for obvious reasons," he said quietly. He turned around and said, "I'll come back around noon. Just to check. If that's okay."

"Of course it's okay. I'll be right here for as long as it takes, Landon. And...I'm sorry there's nothing we can do. This guy deserves to have his balls cut and force fed to him. Instead, we have to risk our lives to let him start a new one."

"Right. There's nothing we can do," he repeated. "Nothing at all."

"You okay?" Kate asked him.

"Yeah, sure."

"I'm here for you if you need to talk."

"I know. Thanks. You're the best," he told her.

"Just not...best enough, right?"

Knight smiled wryly at her then told her he'd be back in a few hours. He went home for a while but couldn't sleep. He shaved, took a shower, and changed clothes then had something to eat. Around 11am he headed out and picked up a couple of things before going back to the hospital.

This time when he came in, Abagayle was in bed with her mother curled up in her arms. Risa saw him and tried to smile but Landon said, "It's okay. Just relax."

Kate told him, "The doctor just came by and gave them both some more pain medication. He said both of them are doing as well as can be expected. What's in the bag?" She looked at him and said, "Oh, okay. I think I'll take a ten-minute break."

Once Kate left, Knight held up the bag as the girls watched. "Oh, my!" he said looking at mother and daughter. "Now what in the world could be in here?"

Abagayle sat up with her mother's help, her tiny arm in a cast and a sling. "Close your eyes, okay?" he said. He saw her look at her mother for approval.

"It's okay, honey. He's a nice man. Go ahead. Close your eyes."

Knight pulled out a vinyl Princess Doll dressed in purple and said, "Okay, open!"

Abagayle inhaled sharply as her eyes got wide. "Mommy, can I?" she asked.

"Of course. Go ahead. Take it."

He placed it on her lap as she held it with her good arm. "She's so pretty!" Abagayle looked up at Knight and said, "Thank you Mr. Landon! I never had my own dolly before. I love her!"

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked Risa as he saw tears running down her cheek.

She shook her head but didn't speak. He moved closer to her and said, "What's wrong, Risa?"

She reached for his hand then held it tight when he gave it to her. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for us," she said very quietly as she stroked her daughter's hair as she played with her new doll. "Her father doesn't allow those kinds of things."

"Dolls? He won't let her have a doll? Are you serious?"

"He says they breed weakness," she said trying to blink away the tears.

Knight reached for some tissue and gingerly dabbed around the splint on her nose. "Son of a bitch," he said so only she could hear him. "If I had him alone for just one minute..."

Risa shook her head and said, "It wouldn't change anything. Nothing will ever change him. He'd just kill you or have you killed."

Knight told her, "He has no more power. No more authority. One call to anyone and he's a dead man."

"Don't be so sure Deputy Marshal...Landon. Certain people are still very loyal to him. Once you've seen the things they do, you'll live in fear the rest of your life." She looked over at him and said, "Well, perhaps you wouldn't, but it's too late for me. I made my bed so to speak many years ago and now I have no choice but to lay in it. Please, please don't get involved. Promise me, okay?"

"I can't do that," he told her. He let go of her hand and brushed the hair back from her face.

"You're such a nice man," she told him. "Were I single and a lot younger..." Her voice trailed off as she stopped speaking.

Knight smiled at her and said, "Oh. I almost forgot."

He pulled out a small potted plant with some flowers in it. "These are for you. You know, to cheer the place up a bit. I don't know anything about flowers, but these looked pretty so..."

She reached for them as he went to place them on the nightstand by her bed. "They're tulips, Landon, and they're beautiful."

He helped her hold them while Abagayle continued to play. "I...I love them," she said as tears began to fall again. "You're so kind, Landon. Thank you." She looked at her daughter and said, "For both of us—thank you."

She lay there just looking at the flowers for a while knowing she couldn't possibly smell them before Knight set them aside.

"Landon?" she said barely above a whisper.

He reached for her hand and said, "Yes?"

"Is what you told me true? Could you really keep us safe? You know, if we..."

"Yes. I...we...meaning the Marshal Service, absolutely could. All you have to do is tell Kate that's what you want. Just never mention to anyone that I brought it up first. In fact, when Kate comes back, ask her if something like that is even possible and she'll take it from there, okay?"

"Okay," she replied weakly. "Just promise me you'll stay with us. I'll only agree to it if you're protecting us."

"I can't guarantee that. It'll be up to Kate once she gets permission to remove the two of you from your husband. This is her detail and her assignment so she gets to decide who stays with your husband who will be assigned to protect you and your daughter."

"I'll talk to her when she comes back in. Don't worry, I'll make it sound like it just came to me. I've gotten pretty good at lying over the years." She tried to smile but doing so was painful.

"I want you to know it's possible I won't see you again after this," he told her.

"What? You mean it's not just that you wouldn't be assigned to us but that we could never see you again?"

"Yes. Not even other Marshals are allowed to know where a protectee is taken except for the very small number directly involved. I'm sorry but that's for your own protection."

She looked at him and said, "Oh. Of course it is. I'm sure that would be best for our safety." Then she turned away and said, "But not for my heart." She looked back at him, squeezed his hand and said, "In all the years I've been with Ben...my husband, I've never strayed. Yes, mostly it's been out of fear, but I've never really even been tempted. At least not until..."

He bent down and kissed her on the cheek and said, "I understand."

Just as he raised up, Kate knocked then quickly opened the door. "Is it okay if I come back in?"

Landon immediately let go of Risa's hand, turned around and said, "Yep. The coast is clear."

"Look at my new dolly, Miss Kate!" Abagayle said.

"Oh, my! She's so pretty. Just like you! What are you going to name her?" Kate asked.

"Um...KATE!" she said with a rare smile and a big nod.

"Oh, wow! I like that name," Kate said smiling back.